Diesel

Jeep fans who were pumped to hear that the company would finally make a version of the Wrangler with a truck bed with the next generation may be positively giddy at this announcement. Jeep has now confirmed that the next Wrangler will also offer new powertrains including a hybrid and a diesel.

One of the upsides to diesel trucks is that they tend to get better fuel economy, while offering more torque than their gas powered brethren. Chevy has now announced the EPA estimates for its Colorado truck with the 2.8L Duramax turbo diesel, and the truck is now officially the most fuel-efficient truck in the US.

Nissan has a new Titan pickup coming soon that is dubbed the Titan XD, and the truck will have the option of a Cummins turbo-diesel engine under the hood. Because of its size, the Titan XD is exempt from EPA fuel economy ratings.

In the wake of the VW diesel emissions cheating fiasco, the EPA is cracking down big time on automakers who build models with diesel engines. One of the first to feel the extra burden will be GM, with the diesel versions of its Colorado and Canyon small trucks getting extra tests.

Back in June, we learned that Chevrolet had plans to cram a small 2.8-liter diesel engine under the hood of its Colorado mid-size truck. The goal for the diesel in the Colorado was better fuel economy and towing power.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Honda had set a record in Europe for fuel economy while driving through a bunch of countries. VW didn’t want to be outdone, and has now announced that it has landed a Guinness World Record for fuel economy in the US.

One of the main reasons why mid-size trucks all but disappeared for a while is that they overlap so much with full-size trucks in price and capability. There was also little or no fuel economy difference between mid-size and full-size trucks and for those reason most people just bought full-size.

The Jeep Wrangler in these photos looks a lot like any other Wrangler Rubicon you might run across cruising around your town. It has the soft top and half doors that most of these popular SUVs come with.

The Audi A3 is a compact executive sedan that shares platform elements with the popular Volkswagen Golf, but with more upscale accoutrements and Audi’s arguably more appealing styling. It looks especially put together in brilliant red and sporting Audi’s black singleframe grille, aluminum-trimmed window openings, and riding on 18″ alloys.

Up until now, diesel-based MINI Coopers have been limited to just 116 horsepower, and the more powerful engines have been reserved for MINI’s gas-powered Cooper S model. Now, MINI has outed a new diesel variant which combines power with fuel efficiency.